Currie is a graduate of the University of Michigan and the Interlochen Arts Academy.
Prior to joining the OSO, he was a double bass player in the National Arts Centre Orchestra from 1971 until 1991, when he retired as Principal Bass.
Currie studied conducting in Siena, Italy, and at the Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo, one of Japan's most prestigious private music institutions, where he studied with Morihiro Okabe and Kazuyoshi Akiyama.
He is also the founding conductor of the Pierrot Ensemble, a group that performs 20th-century music.
In May 1992, Currie became music director of the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra.